Upper-lacing machine.



' H. E ENSLIN.

UPPER LA GINGMAGHINB. v APPLICATION FILED MARA', 1912.

manned Apr. z9,71913f CWM ww blocks.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIc-E.

HERBERT E. ENSLIN, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T UNITED SHOE MA'- CHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PPEBPLACING MACHINE. i

State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Upper-Lacing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following tolbe a full, clear, and

exact-description of the invention, such as' will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperta'ins to make and use the same.

' i The invention relates'to that class of upper lacing machines Ain, .which a series of loops of lacing cord are held by a series of needles or spindlesandcoperating loopers in'. position to be passed through. the eyelet holes of the upper, the devices for spacing .the spindles in accordance with the spacing ofthe eyelet of machinesthe spindles have usually been Asecured in a seriesv of c'rrier' blocks which may be adjusted lateal y to vary the spacing of the needles, provided for simultaneously'adjusting the The `spacing-offthe spindles may be increased untilthe end spindle reaches th' limit of'its :novement,'7.when further increase in the spacing is prevented by the ar,- rest of the'end block. It is frequently vdesirable toluse a machine Vto insert lacing in a number of eyelets less than the number ofv spindles with Which-a machine is providedl' For instance, 5 spindles may frequently be used for insertmachines provided with five ing lacing in but four eyelets. In such case `it is sometimes desirable that the spacing of the floursp'indlesv 'which are to be used be increased beyond that which can be secured whenusing thefull number or" spindles.

n It is accordingly the object of the present linvention vto provide novel and improved means for simultaneously adjusting the spindle carriers Whichwill enable the spacing of the spindles to be increased in case the number of loops of lacing to be inserted by the spindles is less than the number of spindleswith which the machine" is -vprovided. 1

.To this end the invention contemplates Jethe provision in an upper lacing machine provided With'a seriesA of spindle carriers' for inserting loops in the cyelet holes ofthe upper, if devices for simultaneously adjust- Specification of I .etters Patent.

' Appucation filed March 4, 1912. Serial No. 681,534.

-arid' more particularly to holes in the upper to be laced'. I'n this type and devices have' heen handle ll which may be.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

ing the spindle carriers in accordance with the spacing of the eyelet holes in the upper' to be laced, having provision for disconnectlng a spindle carrier at the end of the series to'permit increased spacing of the remaining spindle carriers. lVith this construction the spindle carrier the series may be moved to thev limit of its movement and then disconnected from the adjusting means so that the next adjacent spindle carrier becomes the end carrier of the active series, and .thespacing of the ac- ,tiveA spindles may` be increased until this carrier brings up against the inactive carrJer. v Y

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the mechanism illustrated therein. f the drawings, Figure 1 is a front ele- 'vation of the spindle carrying head of an Vupper lacing machine embodying the invention, the front plate which normally covers' the. spindle 'adjusting devices being re` moved, and F ig. 2 is a similar view, the spinilles, loopers and certain otherparts'heina removed.-

l In the drawings the invention is illus- Ltrated as embodied in. an upper lacing machine having the same general construction and mode ofloperation as the upper lacing" machine shown and described in the patent. to smith, No. 962,105, June 21, 1910. As shown in the drawings, the spindles 1 are secured in spindle carrier blocks 2 which.

are -mounted in guideways formed in the' front of a carrier head 3 so that the blocks may be adjusted to vary the spacing of the spindles. The' block showin at t-he right is secured in fixed position, while the others are mountedjo slide laterally in the head 3 'in changing the spacing of the spindles. The adjustable blocks are provided with pins 4 engaging slots 5 in the upper ends of a series or levers 6, 7, 8 and 9 which are pvoted to a plate depending' from the head 3. ,The lever 8 is extended to form a manipulated by the operator in adjust-ing the spindle carrier blocks. The levers 6 and 7 are connected to the `lever 8 by links 12 and 13, and the lever 9 is'connected 'lo the lever 8 by a link 14. The connections between the spindle carrier blocks are such that he blocks will be moved at the end of .the blocks.

varying' distances by movement of the handle ll and the eqiial spacing of the blocks will be maintained whatever the adjustment of The loopers 15 which coperate with the spindles in forming and holding the loopsare secured in laterally adjustable blocks 16, those looper carrying blocks which Corresp nd`to the movable spindles being connected toit-he movable spindle carrying blocks so, that they will move in unison'` therewith.' Iii the construction shown there are five spindle carrying blocks, and in case loops of lacing cord are to be inserted in five eyelet holes the spindle adjusting devices will be connected,- as indicated in Fig. 1, so that' the four spindle blocks at the left Will be moved simultaneously and in such man- "ner as to maintain an equal spacing of the spindles when the spindle blocks are adjusted to secure a spacing of thespindles corresponding to the spacing of the eyelet holes in the upper to be laced. In case the machine is to be used for inserting loops of lacing cord in but four eyelet holes, thel spindle and coperating looper may be removedifroin the carrier blocks at the left of the series, and these carrier blocks disconnected from the adjusting devices to enable the spacing of the remaining spindles. and

`loopers to e increased. Provisionfor thus disconnecting the spindle carrier block at the e'nd of the series from the adjusting devices is made in the construction shown by i forming the link 14 of spring metal so that it may be sprung toward or away-from the levert), and providing the ,link with ay hole 17 adapted to fit over a pin 18 on the lower end of the link 9. To enable the link 14 to be readily engaged with or disengaged from the pin 18 the link is extended to foin av When tligglnk is disengaged handle 19. d from the pin 18,itfi"ay be swung down so that it'overlies andis parallel with the-adjust-ing handle 11. `When the link is disconnected the spindle carrying block 2 at the left of the series may remain in its extreme left-hand position, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the spacing of the remaining spindles may be increased until the further movement of the block at the upper end of the lever 8 is prevented by its engagement with the block at the left of the series. This enables Ameans for l. An upper lacing machine, having, in

combination. a series of spindle carriers and siinul-:neously fadjusting the Spindle carriers having provision for disconnecting one of the carriers to permit increased spacing of the remaining carriers, substantially as described.

2. An upper lacing machine, having, in

combination, a series of spindle carriers, a

series of looper carriers, means for siniultaneously adjusting the spindle and looper carriers 1n accordance with the spacing of 'the eyelct holes in the upper to b`e.laced including means for disconnecting the carrieis at the end of the series to permit increased spacing of the remaining carriers, substantially as described. I

3. An upper lacing machine, having, in

combination, a plurality of spindle carriers,

a series of adjusting levers connected to the carriers, links connecting the levers to main-v tain an equal spacing of the carriers having provision for disconnecting the lever at the end of the series to permit increased spacing of the remaining spindle carriers, substantially as described.

4. An Vupper lacing machine, having, iii

combination, a carrier head 3, a series of spindle carrier blocks A2 mounted for lateral adjustment in tlie ;head, a sei'ies'of leviers having their. uppeiiends connected to the blocks, links connecting-the levers-to secure an equal spacing of the blocks, the lilik con- -nccting the lever for the end block having provision for disconnecting it from the lever,

substantially as described,

HERBERT E. ENSLIN.

lVitnesses O. BLAciin HAiicinivns, ELIZABETH C. COUPE. 

